News briefs

UVU’S PBL STUDENTS WIN AT STATE

For the second year in a row, Utah Valley University’s Phi Beta Lambda won the traveling trophy for the most awards won with 47 and was named the Most Outstanding Chapter at the annual Phi Beta Lambda State Leadership Conference held April 3-4 in Ogden.

Also, 15 UVU students qualified for the national conference to be held in Anaheim, Calif. in June.

In all, UVU students earned first-place awards in 14 categories, second-place awards in eight categories and third-place awards in nine categories. Awards were given through 10th place.

“We have great students who have great skills to offer in the workplace and stack up well with other colleges and universities in the state,” said Colleen Vawdrey, a professor in UVU’s Woodbury School of Business.

A total of 130 students from all PBL state chapters participated in 45 events.
In other conference business, UVU students Jason Wright, who took first in desktop publishing and help desk, and Mitch Webb, who took second in financial services and fifth in help desk, were named the Utah PBL Who’s Who. Wright received a $500 scholarship and Webb received a $250 scholarship.

UVU’s Spencer Behrend was selected state president while Wright and Webb were elected state webmaster and state treasurer, respectively.

UVU STUDENTS TO PRESENT ON UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH

Thirty-five Utah Valley University students from disciplines including science, dance, social science, automotive, business and computing will represent the university at the 23rd National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) April 16-18 at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

“Nationally, UVU is very well known as a supporter of undergraduate research,” said Loretta Palmer, UVU associate vice president for research and outreach. “Undergraduate research is a way for our students to become more engaged in their learning and to the community.”

At NCUR last year, hosted by Salisbury University in Maryland, 65 UVU students made 58 presentations, which was second in number only to Salisbury University.

The NCUR was established in 1987 and is dedicated to promoting undergraduate research, scholarship and creative activity in all fields of study by sponsoring an annual conference for students.

Through its annual conference, the NCUR creates a unique environment for the celebration and promotion of undergraduate student achievement, provides models of exemplary research and scholarship and helps to improve the state of undergraduate education.

UVU students who have conducted research in specific areas of interest with the help of their faculty mentor will make oral, poster, visual arts or performing arts presentations of their findings. A list of the UVU students who will be attending, along with the titles of their projects can be found at www.uwlax.edu/ncur2009/

During the 2008-2009 school year the Office of Scholarship and Outreach, which works with all the schools and colleges on campus to assist students with research, helped 170 students to present at different conferences around the nation.

This summer students will be participating in the Scholarly and Creative Opportunities Program. Some applicants have research projects in Nepal, London, Israel, Africa and Mexico. Others will be working on original projects in Utah and surrounding states.

UVU Student Named Chef of the Year

Victoria Maxfield was named Utah Valley University’s first-ever Student Chef of the Year for the Western Region at the American Culinary Federation Student Chef of the Year Championship in Seattle this month.

“Vicki is a natural competitor. Just like all of us, she gets nervous, but you’d never know it,” said Peter Sproul, UVU assistant professor of culinary arts, who is one of Maxfield’s advisors.

Maxfield, who was part of the UVU team that finished second in the 2008 ACF Western Regional, will now participate in the 2009 ACF National Conference in Orlando this July.

Maxfield had 60 minutes to prepare four portions of a signature dish consisting of herb-crusted pork tenderloin in sherry vinegar jus with sweet apple parsnip puree, crispy pancetta-scented potatoes and tourne early spring squash, carrot batonee bundle and glazed chipollini onion to showcase her cooking abilities and skill.

In a pressure-packed arena and competing against the region’s best, including the current global student champion, Sproul said Maxfield performed flawlessly, impressing the panel of three judges that included a certified master chef.

The ACF Student Chef of the Year, sponsored by Custom Culinary, Inc., recognizes a student who possesses a high degree of professionalism, culinary skills and passion for the culinary arts.